Phal buds failing - not a disease

[Chris in Hamilton]

He says half strength and quarter strength, but of what? The media looks kind of broken down. Maybe they need a repot. If you used clear pots you could see the roots. My guess is rotten roots.

Okay, now I've found it Also Daniel, what made you decide to cut back on both strength and frequency? Are there any aerial roots?

[orchidmanmarin]

The media isn't broken down (it's dark in this photo, as I mentioned I just watered it.) It's mostly less than one year old orchiata; plus perlite, hydroton, charcoal and lava rock, which don't break down. Not saying the roots aren't dead, but I'm not pulling it out now to look. And if they were dead, it wouldn't be from broken down media, it would be from overwatering.

My guess, the more I think about it, is that this plant just isn't ready to support two spikes.

I cut back on strength and frequency so that I don't rot the roots / media; and to flush out more salts when the plant is growing less, based on shorter day length.

I use the Grow-More Phal formula for NPK for every other feeding, interspersed with Pro-Tekt; Seaweed; and epsom salts. My local tap water is 130 TDS, and I filter it with a good household cartridge unit (charcoal and ionic). I also use rainwater a significant portion of the year.

When I run out of grow-more and Peters I plan to switch to MSU and skip the epsom salts.

On this topic, I read something that I found compelling. 98.5% or more of the plant tissues are made of water and carbon, very little is NPK and minors. So, at least according to some, feeding is inconsequential - at least, compared to water.

[sciencegal]

Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are most definitely essential for photosynthesis and other processes in the plant. Trace minerals are also necessary. Some people do not fertilize but I believe the plant will slowly decline once stores have been used up. It will hang in there but not for long. If the newer leaves are smaller the phal is declining for some reason. If it were mine I would get it out of the tiny pot and look at the roots. But, it isn't mine so it doesn't matter a whole lot.

[Chris in Hamilton]

I agree with Karin. I'd take it out and at least take a look. I don't think you'll get any more flowers on those spikes at this time.

[orchidmanmarin]

Maybe I'll pull it out once the current bloom is done.

I thought orchids like small pots?! It's certainly not tiny compared to the way other growers pot their plants. And the bigger the pot, the wetter the media stays, the more likely one is to rot the roots. I've heard this so many times, from so many places, it's hard to imagine it's false.

Are you saying that because this pot is small, the buds are failing?

Again, my theory about smaller leaves is that the plant gets so much light, it's spiking beyond what the plant size can support, thus the buds fail and the leaves grow smaller. Have seen this with a dtps too.

Well I appreciate the input - sorry to reject it all and give my own opinion LOL!! But it does help to talk to others and think about various scenarios. I am very curious about the roots now too.

[Chris in Hamilton]

Let us know what you find! Perhaps you are right about the the light. Often when a plant gets moved around it throws off growth cycles.

[orchidmanmarin]

actually I think it's overpotted, if anything !! If I'm not mistaken it's put out two more spikes. I may cut them all and leave it in the dark and check back in six months

---------- Post Merged at 03:45 PM ----------

Let us know what you find! Perhaps you are right about the the light. Often when a plant gets moved around it throws off growth cycles.

you know that's a good point; i move my phals back and forth from high to low light. How could a plant have an adaptation for that? I might have to start keeping better track of which plant goes where and try to leave them in place for extended periods of time, and not confuse them.

Dang this orchid keeping thing keeps demanding more and more of me!

[Chris in Hamilton]

I think we all do that for at least the 1st while. I'm still terrible for seeing one start to grow and then thinking it would do better somewhere else when the reason its started growing is that it likes it just fine where it is.

[sciencegal]

Phals are well known for blasting buds if the plant is moved. I've learned to keep them in one place until all of the buds have opened then I might move it to a place were I can enjoy them more.

I referred to the pot as small because it looks like the kind that is used for seedlings. I wondered if it has ever been repotted

Why would you put it in the dark?
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[78Terp]

It sounds like you are making Phals more difficult than they are. They do well with a certain amount of benign neglect as long as they get the water/fertilizer they need and reasonable light. The less messed with, the better they grow is my experience. I wouldn't move them around. They don't move in nature. That certainly sounds like the source of the bud blast to me. The most my Phals travel is a walk to the sink for water, then back to the same location.